ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the housing processes of three families from one of the war-damaged villages in Lebanon, namely al-Burjain. It discusses top-down and grass-root approaches to reconstruction, stressing the need for partnerships between victims and interveners. The chapter provides a brief background of the village and discusses the family case study method within the context of the fieldwork. It highlights important issues for interventions in disaster prone areas. From 1975 to 1991, Lebanon was eclipsed in the shadow of unprecedented civil strife resulting in massive population displacements, extensive destruction of property and severe disruption to the normal ways of life. The crisis had aggravated already existing socio-economic and housing problems, and increased demand for shelter in ‘safer’ areas. With the lack of emergency housing programmes, the majority of displaced people relied on their own initiatives to shelter their families in war-torn Lebanon.
